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¹ Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi Zootekni Bölümü, Van
² Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Gevaş Meslek Yüksek Okulu, Veteriner Laborant Bölümü, Van - Sudden death syndrome in broiler production industry causes serious economic losses in recent years. Sudden death syndrome is a situation in which healthy-looking and fast-growing broiler chicks die without showing any apparent reasons. It affects broilers of all ages starting from as early as 2-day-old broilers until 42-day age market. Most deaths occur in 3 and 4-weeks of age in broilers. Males are affected more than females. These situations can rarely be observed in other poultry species. Death occurs in healthy-looking animals within 1-2 minutes. Unlike other diseases, animals are found mostly lying on their backs. Etiology of the disease isn`t known exactly. It is thought to be related to carbohydrate metabolism and lactic acidosis, loss of cell membranes` integrity, intracellular electrolyte imbalance, stress and arrhythmia as a result. Factors affecting sudden death syndrome can be classified according to the animal, feeding and environmental management. In post mortem findings, blood in heart is in a structure defined as `jelly clot`. There isn`t any methods to completely prevent, to take under control or to cure sudden death syndrome. As this metabolic disorder is related to rapid growth, it is necessary to take some precautions (qualitative and quantitative feed restriction) to slow down the speed of growth of animal. In this review, especially the relation between this syndrome and feeding and necessary measures to take it under control are mentioned. Keywords : Sudden death sydrome, broiler, rapid growth